fibromyalgia and my magic bike

blogging about my magic bike, fibromyalgia, pain, the love of a dog and magical memories.

My first blog entry…

magic bike

My first blog, here or anywhere!  It is a Monday, so I guess a good day to begin a blog.

I could talk about pain.  I woke up in so much today that it was two hours later; after having taken my medication and drinking a few cups of coffee, that the shock hit me mentally and emotionally.

I was standing in my wooded yard having the coffee when I felt a burst of emotions and quickly came tears.  It didn’t last long, but it was remembering the pain I’d felt when I woke up this morning that was the source of the outburst.  Post-pain-shock or something.

I have fibromyalgia.

A Rheumatologist and fibromyalgia research doctor, whom I must say I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to meet,  is the doctor who gave me my third or fourth, and I guess official diagnosis of fibromyalgia in 2006.

This doctor says that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which I have, is the same thing as fibromyalgia.  He calls fibromyalgia (Central Sensitivity Syndrome,) CSS.

I believe anyone who truly has fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue knows pain as well as just about anyone.  Certainly we are high on the list of people who know what it is like to endure severe pain — fatigue of the body and brain, and — to keep on going!  Which takes me to another subject to write about:  My Magic Bike.

I bought a magic bike. It’s magic because when I got on it I felt free.  It reminded me of me.  The me I have forgotten to keep up with.

I remembered what it had been like to ride my first ten-speed bicycle, which  my dad gave me for my 13th birthday.  I used to ride it  for miles and miles.  We lived in a small rural town with plenty of country roads to ride on.

That bike took me all sorts of places, rivers, communities I’d only heard about but mostly I rode where there were pastures and a few houses along side of the country roads.  We didn’t wear helmets back then.  I’d hold my hands up high and ride down curvy hills all the way like that.  That was my freedom bike.  Truly, my wheels.

My magic bike I have now was special from the time I thought about it in my head — but once I ordered it online is when the magic really began!

I made a list of things I needed for my magic bike while I waited for them to build it.  Then I made a list of things I didn’t need.  What would be the most unnecessary thing I wondered, that a bike shop has to offer.  I suspected that the item might be the exact thing I wanted.  I asked one of the young men working at the shop what he thought this item might be and he answered with just what I wanted:  Pink and white handle-bar streamers!

The streamers seemed to be like a starter for the bike’s magic power, but it still needed something.  I took it in for a check-up and knew pretty much what I wanted. A bell! I asked the young man where the bells were and of course they were beside the streamers!  I found the coolest bell ever!  A Jelly Bell I think it is called.  I knew it was the right bell for my little magic bike!

My 25 year old son and I rode our bikes last night by the light of the moon, and–by the light of my little Flea LED light, which is totally awesome and I think brighter than the lights on my car!

“This is nice isn’t it Mom,” my son said as we rode along the quiet road, me on my magic bike and him on his regular but cool blue bike.

“Yeah… this is nice,” and I knew it was one of those special moments in time to remember.

I am grateful for the moment and now,

for my magical memory.

by dogkisses,

my first blog, original post on August 10th, 2009